Grandson Paulie has been staying with us this summer to attend his Boys and Girls Club of Santa Cruz County. Gradually, we have discovered a number of extraordinary qualities in him.
For instance, he is an upright seven-year-old boy. Young for his age, he adheres fiercely to his principles. He prefers his breakfast a bowl of traditional Cheerios with milk. He was outraged to the point of tears when I sneaked in some smashed quail egg or chicken egg yolk. After several unpleasant episodes, I have finally given up my feeble attempts to boost his protein intake at breakfast. As a traditional Cheerios consumer, Paulie is not tempted to try other cheerio types, even though he is a big fan of the Bluey series, and loved his new Bluey outfit instantly. The aversion might be associated with his throwing up perhaps from eating Bluey cheerios during the 4th of July vacation week.
Paulie receives his punishment stoically. A month ago on June 11, he wandered off during his first Beach Day. His temporary disappearance ruined the day club activity. His teachers combed the whole Twin Lakes State Beach to look for him. It turned out that he was talking to an unknown couple on the beach, which escaped the due notice of searchers, assuming that he was their family member. As a severe repercussion, Paulie was banned from swimming field-trips activities in the month of June, including Simpkins swims and beach days.
During that period, he was unusually quiet, but with no complaints. He was to miss How to Train Your Dragon at Cinelux Theater Capitola the following Tuesday, due to a mix-up in the sign up period. He refused his club lunch or his own that day. On hearing this, Papou Paul could not sit still. The very next day, he met and talked to the Club Director, to reach a mutual understanding and course of action for Paulie. Additionally, Papou purchased tickets to Simpkins that Saturday and swam with Paulie in the Warm Water Pool. On Sunday, three of us all went to the Cinelux to see the Train your Dragon movie with popcorn in hand. After due delays and testing, Paul has now proved himself to be outdoor-worthy. Today, he is at the Buccaneer Bay Mini Golf, Santa Cruz Boardwalk!
Politeness is another quality Paulie has possessed. His "Excuse me" has endeared himself to friends and strangers alike. He never speaks ill of anyone, but always praises people around him. In slightly over one month, he has been promoted to one of the most popular club members, receiving a chorus of greetings and goodbyes upon arrival and departure.
Seriousness about one's responsibility is Paulie's other notable quality. Once designated as a lime picker, he has picked all scattered fruits cheerfully, no matter how low he has to bow to reach them. He is also a dedicated paperboy to get daily Sentinel papers from the driveway to the kitchen table. He does it willingly, regarding the job more as a spirit lifter, than a chore or nuisance.
Paul and I are in constant amazement living with Paulie, even though he can be quite demanding in getting two necessities on time, i.e., his dinner, and fruit bowl. Like his sister Leni, Paulie is a serious fruit eater, strawberries in particular.
